Abstract: The driving support ECU performs a steering control for changing a steering angle in such a manner that an own vehicle travels along a target path. When a state in which holding state information does not satisfy a first condition continues for a first time threshold or more, the ECU starts a first alert and continues the steering control. The holding state information includes information indicative of a steering torque and represents a holding state of a steering handle by a driver. When a state in which the holding state information does not satisfy a second condition for a second time threshold or more after the first alert is started, the ECU starts a deceleration control. The second condition is a condition satisfied when the holding state information indicates that the driver holds the steering handle more firmly than when the holding state information satisfies the first condition.

Abstract: The example embodiments are directed to a system and method for controlling and commanding an unmanned robot using natural interfaces. In one example, the method includes receiving a plurality of sensory inputs from a user via one or more natural interfaces, wherein each sensory input is associated with an intention of the user for an unmanned robot to perform a task, processing each of the plurality of sensory inputs using a plurality of channels of processing to produce a first recognition result and a second recognition result, combining the first recognition result and the second recognition result to determine a recognized command, and generating a task plan assignable to the unmanned robot based on the recognized command and predefined control primitives.

Abstract: The present approach employs a context-aware simulation platform to facilitate control of a robot remote from an operator. Such a platform may use the prior domain/task knowledge along with the sensory feedback from the remote robot to infer context and may use inferred context to dynamically change one or both of simulation parameters and a robot-environment-task state being simulated. In some implementations, the simulator instances make forward predictions of their state based on task and robot constraints. In accordance with this approach, an operator may therefore issue a general command or instruction to a robot and based on this generalized guidance, the actions taken by the robot may be simulated, and the corresponding results visually presented to the operator prior to evaluate prior to the action being taken.

Abstract: A control device includes a processor that is configured to execute computer-executable instructions so as to control driving of a robot capable of performing work including a screw-tightening process for tightening a screw, wherein the processor is configured to: receive an input of at least one of characteristics of an object including the screw used in the screw-tightening process; calculate, on the basis of the characteristics received, a value concerning screw-tightening torque at a time of the tightening of the screw by the robot; and cause a display to display the value concerning the screw-tightening torque.

Abstract: In a transport system and method for operating a transport system the transport system includes a first mobile component and a second mobile component as well as a transport rack. Bearing rollers for moving the transport rack on a driving surface are disposed on the transport rack, in particular, the mobile component is drivable on the driving surface. Each mobile component has a linear axle and a control as well as wheels driven by an electric motor. The first mobile component is able to drive underneath the transport rack in a first region of the transport rack, and the second mobile component is able to drive underneath the transport rack in another, i.e. second, region of the transport rack. The transport rack is able to be raised by extending the linear axles of the mobile components, in particular is able to be raised in such a way that the bearing rollers of the transport rack lose physical contact with the driving surface.

Abstract: A robotic fruit picking system includes an autonomous robot that includes a positioning subsystem that enables autonomous positioning of the robot using a computer vision guidance system. The robot also includes at least one picking arm and at least one picking head, or other type of end effector, mounted on each picking arm to either cut a stem or branch for a specific fruit or bunch of fruits or pluck that fruit or bunch. A computer vision subsystem analyses images of the fruit to be picked or stored and a control subsystem is programmed with or learns picking strategies using machine learning techniques. A quality control (QC) subsystem monitors the quality of fruit and grades that fruit according to size and/or quality. The robot has a storage subsystem for storing fruit in containers for storage or transportation, or in punnets for retail.

Abstract: Provided are a signal processing system and a signal processing method for sensors of a vehicle. More particularly, the signal processing system includes: a vehicle sensor unit 100 including the plurality of sensors previously provided in the vehicle and transmitting sensing information acquired through the sensors; an arithmetic and control unit 200 receiving sensing information from the vehicle sensor unit 100, and comparing and analyzing the received sensing information to discriminate only normal sensing information from the sensing information and set and transmit the normal sensing information as output information; and a display unit 300 including a plurality of displays previously provided in the vehicle, transmitting the output information received from the arithmetic and control unit 200 to the matched display of the plurality of displays, and outputting the output information through the matched display of the plurality of displays.

Abstract: To perform a tool exchange in a medical robotic system, tool is retracted back into an entry guide from a deployed position and pose so that an assistant in the operating room may replace it with a different tool. While the tool is being retracted back towards the entry guide by user action, its configuration is changed to an entry pose while avoiding collisions with other objects so that it may fit in the entry guide. After the tool exchange is completed, a new tool is inserted in the entry guide and extended out of the guide by user action to the original position of the old tool prior to its retraction into the entry guide while the tool's controller assists the user by reconfiguring the new tool so as to resemble the original deployed pose of the old tool prior to its retraction into the entry guide.

Abstract: The present disclosure illustrates a robot speech control system including a robot body, a handheld device, a command receiver, an ambient sensor, a processor and a controller. The handheld device includes a display interface and a speech input interface, and the speech input interface is configured to input a speech command which is then converted, by a speech recognition program, into a speech control instruction. An auto-dodge program converts the information into an auto-dodge instruction. The processor receives the speech control instruction and the information associated with the environment, and use Bayesian regression algorithm to calculate a free space probability, so as to obtain weights of a speech command and a dodge command. The processor integrates the speech control instruction and the weight of the speech command, and the auto-dodge instruction and the weight of the dodge command, to generate a movement control instruction.

Abstract: A steering angle controller which controls an actual value to a desired value, wherein the steering angle controller outputs, as an output signal, an actuating signal for power electronics to control an electric servo motor, wherein the actual value is a steering angle or a measurement variable corresponding to the steering angle and the desired value is a steering angle request or measurement variable request, wherein the steering angle controller is assigned at least one memory which stores at least two different control algorithms.

Abstract: A control unit for an articulated robot has a memory unit which accumulates, when a safety stop function operates by contact or proximity between the articulated robot in operation and at least one of the human and an object, information of occurrence positions in each of which the contact or the proximity occurs or information detected by a sensor which can be used to derive the occurrence positions, the contact and the adjacent are causes of the operation of the safety stop function, and a display device which displays the occurrence positions on a predetermined display based on the information of the occurrence positions or the information detected by the sensor accumulated by the memory unit.

Abstract: An image predictor is trained to produce a predicted image based on N preceding images captured by a vehicle camera and vehicle controls. A discriminator is trained to distinguish between an image following P preceding images in an image stream and one that is not a subsequent image. A control generator generates estimated controls based on a set of N images and the estimated controls and set of N images are input to the image predictor. A predicted image and the set of N images are input to the image predictor which outputs a value indicating whether the predicted image is accurate. A loss function based on this value and a difference between the vehicle controls and the estimated controls for the set of N images is used as feedback for training the control generator.

Abstract: A robotic fruit picking system includes an autonomous robot that includes a positioning subsystem that enables autonomous positioning of the robot using a computer vision guidance system. The robot also includes at least one picking arm and at least one picking head, or other type of end effector, mounted on each picking arm to either cut a stem or branch for a specific fruit or bunch of fruits or pluck that fruit or bunch. A computer vision subsystem analyses images of the fruit to be picked or stored and a control subsystem is programmed with or learns picking strategies using machine learning techniques. A quality control (QC) subsystem monitors the quality of fruit and grades that fruit according to size and/or quality. The robot has a storage subsystem for storing fruit in containers for storage or transportation, or in punnets for retail.

Abstract: An asset inspection system includes a robot and a server. The server receives a request for data from the robot, wherein the requested data comprises an algorithm, locates the requested data in a database stored on the server, encrypts the requested data, and transmits the requested data to the robot. The robot is configured to collect inspection data corresponding to an asset based at least in part on the requested data and transmit the collected inspection data to the server.

Abstract: A moving robot including: actuators at least including a motor for movement; a reading unit configured to read a tag installed in an environment, at least one of information on an allowable operation time of the actuators and information on an allowable operation amount of the actuators being described in the tag; and a controller configured to prohibit or limit execution of a predetermined task whose execution has already been accepted, the predetermined task being operated using at least one of the actuators, until the time when the reading unit reads the tag, and release the prohibition or the limitation and execute the task in such a way that an operation time and an operation amount do not exceed the allowable operation time and the allowable operation amount described in the tag after the reading unit has read the tag is provided.

Abstract: A method efficiently determines whether a trajectory of an obstacle to an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) will require navigation adjustment for the ADV. The trajectory of the obstacle is represented by an ordered plurality of points, {P0 . . . PM}, and a reference line of the ADV is represented by an ordered plurality of points, {R0 . . . RN}, N>M. If the obstacle and ADV are heading in the same direction, then, for a first point P0 on the obstacle trajectory, the ADV finds a point S0 in {R0 . . . RN} that is the least distance from P0 to the reference line. For each of the remaining obstacle points, Pi, the search for a least distance point, Si, is limited to the portion of the reference line Si?1 to RN. If the obstacle and ADV are heading in opposing directions, the search process can be performed from PM, toward P0, in a similar fashion.

Abstract: The subject matter discloses a mobile robot configured to map an area, comprising a body, two or more distance sensors, configured to collect distance measurements between the mobile robot and objects in the area, a rotating mechanism mechanically coupled to the body and to the two or more distance sensors, said rotating mechanism is configured to enable rotational movement of the two or more distance sensors and a processing module electrically coupled to the two or more distance sensors and to the rotating mechanism. The processing module is configured to process the distance measurements collected by the two or more distance sensors and to instruct the rotating mechanism to adjust a velocity of the rotational movement, said velocity is adjusted according to the distance measurements collected by the two or more distance sensors.

Abstract: Provided are methods and control units for building a database and for predicting a route of a vehicle, and estimating length of the predicted route. The method comprises determining geographical position of the vehicle; detecting a cell border of a cell in a grid-based representation of a landscape, in a database, corresponding to the geographical position; determining that the vehicle is entering the cell at the cell border; extracting a stored driving direction at the cell border from the database; detecting a cell border of a neighbor cell, in the driving direction at the cell border; repeating step and; predicting the route of the vehicle; and estimating the length of the predicted route by adding an estimated distance through each cell of the predicted route.

Abstract: A handheld user interface device for controlling a robotic system may include a member, a housing at least partially disposed around the member and configured to be held in the hand of a user, and a tracking sensor system disposed on the member and configured to detect at least one of position and orientation of at least a portion of the device. At least one of the detected position of the portion of the device and detected orientation of the portion of the device is correlatable to a control of the robotic system.

Abstract: A device to determine integrity of a surface includes an exterior housing to contain and protect a plurality of components. The components include an accelerometer to measure a change in acceleration of the device, a microcontroller to monitor measurement data from the accelerometer and determine the integrity of the surface based on the measurement data. A communication circuit transmits or displays information regarding the integrity of the surface from microcontroller. A battery powers the plurality of components.